


A Little More Conversation

by shopfront



Category: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drinking, Gen, Post-Season/Series 02, episode coda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-13 15:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: Midge finds her way back to the Dublin House after leaving the Steve Allen Show taping, and makes some new travel plans while she's there.





	A Little More Conversation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miss_M](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_M/gifts).

"Hey, stranger," Midge said as she took a seat at the bar. "I thought I might find you here."

Lenny wavered a little when he turned his head, and Midge had to lunge forward to catch him before he could slip off the stool entirely. He leant back against her hands and blinked at her for a long moment before his eyes finally sharpened and recognition dawned in them. "What are you doing back in this shithole?"

"Trying not to make stupid decisions before Susie gets here," Midge admitted as she nudged him upright and attempted to wave down the bartender. He either didn't see her or was ignoring her—or possibly Lenny—so she leant across the bar and quickly snagged the nearest bottle she could reach.

Lenny just snorted as he watched her. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Also, _you_ disappeared before I could find you backstage, you jerk," she scolded gently. Lenny's face twisted as he half-shrugged, half-nodded, but he didn't reply so Midge just sighed. "You'd better come with me. I think I see an empty booth over there that you shouldn't be able to fall out of; not unless you really try to that is."

She'd only barely wrangled him down off the stool, narrowly avoiding another tipping-over incident, when Susie popped up on Lenny's other side.

"Need a hand?" Susie asked as she slung his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, it's you," Lenny said, blinking.

"Yeah, that's what they call me: you," Susie agreed good-naturedly, only she raised her eyebrows in Midge's direction pointedly. "What's the plan here, Midge? I'm already half-dead from carrying all your shopping this morning like some sorta carthorse, so I don't think I can help you get him very far."

"Agreed," Midge just said with a huff and tilted her head towards the back corner as she tucked her ill-gotten bottle into the crook of her arm and awkwardly adjusted her grip on Lenny. "He's way too heavy to hold up for long in heels. We're going thataway."

Slowly they shuffled him in the right direction as he muttered complaints about being called heavy and tipped his glass at the other customers, who each stared as they passed by. Once they'd made it most of the way across the room, Susie grunted and asked, "are you sure we shouldn't be getting him out the door, instead? Maybe into a cab?"

"No cabs. The lawyers get all my cab fare these days," Lenny said mournfully as he raised his glass again in an increasingly enthusiastic toast that nearly took Susie's head off.

"Jeez, watch it," Susie yelped. But luckily it was only a few more wobbling steps before they reached the booth, and they dumped him down to sprawl across one side of it before crowding into the other seat together. "How did you even get a whole bottle, Midge? Please, tell me you didn't steal it right before we're due to go on tour. I'm your manager, so it's my job to say it's only okay to get arrested for risqué jokes. Did you steal it? No, stupid question, we spent all our money on your hats this morning; of course we're stealing it. Well, give it here already then would you and tell me what the big emergency is."

Midge passed the bottle over. "I had a moment of insanity earlier."

Susie nodded slowly and took a swig, then frowned. "_That's_ your emergency?"

"Yes!" Midge cried and smacked her in the shoulder. "Less than an hour ago, I was in a cab with this really cranky driver and I gave him Joel's address so I could go tell him that we'd be leaving soon. But then I thought better of it. So I had to tell the driver to turn around—which he didn't like, so I had to pay him double to not just dump me out on the sidewalk. Can you believe that? I found myself having to choose between being left on the sidewalk in the middle of I don't even know where we were by then, or being taken somewhere against my will. You'd think he didn't drive people around for a living, because he was very bad at it."

Susie took another deeper swig from the bottle as she started a staring match with a slowly tilting Lenny. "You're not joking," she said incredulously. "That's seriously your emergency? A bad cab ride? Also, are you sure he's okay. That's Lenny Bruce, and he's going sorta Titanic on us over there. Should we do something? I feel like we should do something."

"We already got him into the booth. He's fine, I'm not; focus Susie. So, finally the driver relents and I'm sitting in the back while he goes back to swearing out the window at all the other drivers, and I realise: I'm walking away from my entire life here. I'm leaving everything behind to go on this tour. So I thought no, maybe I should go home instead. See my parents, see my family, tell them about the tour, only… I don't think the driver would have left me on the sidewalk if I'd asked him to change direction again. I think he might have actually reached back and tried to strangle me. Which is just—"

Midge stopped and frowned, lost in thought, then shook herself and straightened up. Looking Susie determinedly in the eye, she continued.

"So I came here instead and called you from the payphone down the street. Then I came in here to wait, and I found Lenny at the bar so here we all are," Midge said as she spread both arms wide, encompassing the three of them and nearly taking Lenny's eye out. "Which is perfect because I don't want to be alone, Lenny doesn't want to be alone, and I know you're used to being alone, Susie, but really it doesn't have to be that way. So I've decided. The three of us should be not-alone in Europe together."

Susie just blinked at her, then opened her mouth and shut again.

"You're leaving New York?" Lenny interrupted with his brow furrowed.

"Sort of Lenny, catch up," Midge said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she snatched the bottle back from Susie before she could take another swig.

"Yeah, no, I'm with him," Susie said, and nodded when Lenny thanked her loudly. "You haven't told your family yet?"

Midge made an aggravated noise and took a long drink just as Lenny lent across the table and pointed a finger at her while he gazed at her mournfully, or possibly bemusedly. "Seriously, did I already know that or am I just so drunk that I've forgotten?" he asked.

"Not the point, Lenny, catch up," Susie echoed absently. "Is this going to be like our road trip again, with people calling me while we're off in fucking France or whatever to scold me for doing my job and taking you places?"

"What? No, of course not. Who did that? No one is going to do that to you Susie, and if they do you should tell me about it. No, the _important thing_ is that I'm going on tour with my manager," Midge said before she turned triumphantly back to Lenny. "And you're coming with us!"

Midge deftly batting Lenny's hand aside with the neck of the liquor bottle as she spoke, and then pointed her own finger back at him as she beamed.

"He is?"

"I am?"

"Yes. You're both drinking here with me tonight until I'm too drunk to do anything but pass out in my own bed. Then tomorrow, we're all going to pack bags while very hungover. Then we're going to go and get on a plane to Europe together, and it's going to be great."

Lenny frowned and tipped his head from side to side as he thought it over. "Alright," he said, shrugging.

"Alright? You'll come with us?" Midge asked in surprise, setting the bottle down with a thunk.

He just shrugged again before folding his arms and laying his head down on them. "Sure, why not?" he replied, his voice muffled.

A moment later he snored faintly as Midge turned back to Susie. "Lenny Bruce is coming on tour with us."

Susie just shook her head at her. "You do realise I haven't even got a contract or anything from Shy Baldwin's people for you to sign yet," she said as she stole back the alcohol. "The chances of me arranging all of that in time for us to get on a plane tomorrow, of all things, are practically miniscule."

Midge let the bottle go without a fuss and continued to smile widely, looking very satisfied with herself. "I know, but you can do it. I have faith in you, Susie."

"That makes one of us," Susie muttered as she drank. Then she lowered the bottle again slowly and stared across the table again. "Are we really going on tour with Shy Baldwin and Lenny Bruce?"

"Yup," Midge said, drawing out the word. "Yes, we are, Susie. Yes, we are."


End file.
